Wellhead fitting



Patented May 27, 1941 .FHQ

WELLHEAD FKTTING Homer V. Flemming, Tulsa,

kla., and William R.

Barney, Kilgore, Tex., assignors to W. C. Norris Manufacturer, Incorporated, Tulsa, Okla, a

corporation of Delaware Application October 14, 1938, Serial No. 234,899

1 Claim.

This invention relates to well head fittings including stufilng boxes and more particularly to well head fittings including stufling boxes for use with reciprocating rods such as oil well polish rods.

An object of this invention is to provide a well head fitting including a stuffing box which is of flexible construction adapted to follow the lateral movements of polish rods which generally are deflected somewhat from true vertical in their normal reciprocating movement.

Another object is to provide an improved combination of a flexible type stuiflng box with the oil discharge member utilized in connection with oil wells to provide a compact well head fitting of reduced size and weight and of relatively simple construction and low cost.

A specific object is to provide a well head fltting including a stuiflng box which is flexibly mounted in unitary combination with an oil well flow-T.

Still another object is to provide a combination of a stufling box and flow-T of improved design adapted to increase the durability and efficiency of the flexible connection between the stuffing box and flow-T.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention relates to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, two modifications of which are given in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. 1 is an elevational view in vertical quarter section of the structure of this invention.

Fig. 2 is an expanded view in perspective of the flexible connection elements of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, in which like numerals of reference designate similar parts in each of the figures, the numeral 5 designates a T fitting, which has its top or horizontal memher 6 mounted in axial alignment on the upper end of a well tubing 1, the vertical branch 8 of the T fitting extending laterally therefrom and forming the flow outlet for the well tubing.

An oil well pump polish rod 9 extends axially through the bore of tubing 9 and T member 6 and is adapted to reciprocate substantially vertically therein in accordance with the movement of a pump jack, not shown. The upper end of 4 T member 6 is counterbored to provide an internal annular recess 10 adjacent the bore of the member 6, and is provided externally with a pair of integral laterally extending ears H-H disposed on opposite sides of the member 6,

The stufling box proper consists of a tubular member I 2, which encloses polish rod 9 above the T-fltting 5 and is in axial alignment with T member 6 and pipe 1. The upper end of stuning box [2 is provided with external threads i3, and the lower portion with integral laterally extending ears 14-44 which are alignedwith ears H--ll of the T fitting for assembly. The lower end of stuiflng box I2 is counterbored to form an internal annular recess 39 which is opposed to recess Ml in the upper end of T member 6. An annular metal ring 35 is interposed between the upper end of T member 6 and the lower end of stuffing box 12. Ring 35 is provided with a tongue 36 which is adapted to seat in recess I9 and a thin annular gasket 37 of composition material is placed between tongue 36 and recess H3. The upper face of ring 35 is provided with an annular groove 38 which registers with annular recess 39 to receive the lower edge of a spacer ring l6 which is preferably formed of flexible composition material, such as rubber or rubber-fabric composition, and which is mounted in groove 38 and recess 39 between T fitting 5 and stuffing box I2 and provides a flexible cushion therebetween. The described arrangement of groove 38 and recess 39 provides annular shoulders on each side of the spacer ring Iii which prevents lateral extension toward the polish rod of the material forming the spacer ring and prevents the deformation of the ring which would otherwise result in excessive wear thereof through contact with the rod. Ears Il-H and l4|4 are provided with registering openings l1-l'l through which extend bolts l8, by means of which the stuffing box 2 and T fitting 5 are connected together into a unitary structure and hold ring IS in position in its seats. Openings l! are larger in diameter than is normally required to receive bolts IS in order that some degree of lateral movement of stufiing box I 2 relative to the T fitting 5 may be permitted. Openings Il may be taperbored, instead of uniform in diameter, those in ears ll--|l diverging upwardly, while those in ears l4 -M diverging downwardly. This shape of opening also permits some degree of free lateral movement of the stuffing box relative to the T fitting.

The lower end of the bore of stuifing box l2 tapers inwardly toward its axis, forming a tapered annular seat 2| which faces upwardly toward the annular space between the inner wall of stufling box l2 and the exterior of polish rod 9. A metal ring 22 having its lower face tapered to complement seat 2| is mounted thereon and encircles polish rod 9 and forms a seat for a plurality of rings of composition packing 23 mounted in the annular space surrounding the polish rod 9. A metal packing gland 24 surrounds polish rod 9 and extends into the annular space above packing 23. The end of packing gland 24 is provided interiorly with a frictionless metal liner 25 which fits closely about polish rod 9 and forms a metallic packing therefor. A tubular cap 26 internally threaded at its lower end to engage threads I 3 of the stufiing box is mounted over the stufiing box and has an axial opening 21 in the top thereof through which polish rod 9 extends. The lower side of the top of cap 26 is in contact with the upper end of packing gland 24, and when the cap is screwed down on stufiing box l2 by means of a handle 28, a downward thrust is applied to packing gland 24 which compresses packing 23 against ring 22 and seat 2| and thereby seals the stuffing box against leakage of well fluids along polish rod 9.

The annular space between the outer face of packing gland 2'4 and the inside of cap 26 forms a chamber 29 which is utilized as a reservoir for grease or oil for lubricating the stuffing box. Grease or oil is introduced into chamber 29 through a pressure type grease fitting 30 of conventional construction. Opening 21 in the top of cap 25 is sealed against loss of grease or oil from chamber 29 by means of a leather or composition wiper ring 3| which is seated in the inner wall of opening 21 and extends into rubbing or wiping contact with polish rod 9.

In operation, as polish rod 9 is deflected latorally in its reciprocation, as indicated by the position of the dotted center line in Fig. 1, the stuffing box is permitted to follow the deflection by the compression of flexible spacer ring I6 on the side on which deflection occurs and complementary expansion on the opposite of side of the ring. The arrangement by which the ring I6 is seated in groove 38 and recess 39 seals the connection between the stufling box and flow T and prevents loss of well fluid between these members while permitting an amount of lateral movement of the stufiing box relative to the T fitting which keeps the polish rod centered in the stuffing box throughout its reciprocation and thus prevent excessive and uneven wearing of the packing and the polish rod. The metal liner 25 in the packing gland 23 provides an additional seal against loss of well fluid through the stufi'ing box, while wiper ring 3| provides the final seal for the entire assembly.

By means of the described construction, a compact structure is provided which directly combines the stuffing box with the flow connection for a well and which is of relatively simple construction, thereby reducing the overall size, weight and cost of well head fittings, and one particularly adapted to meet many pumping conditions, especially where the lateral movement of the polish rod is greater than usual, and the resulting alternating compression and expansion of spacer ring It tends to produce excessive deformation and wear of the ring.

It will be understood that well fittings other than the T fitting described may be used in flexible connection with the stuffing box as herein described.

It will also be understood that numerous changes and alterations may be made in the size, form and arrangement of parts of the structure of the invention herein described without departing from the scope of the appended claim.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Well apparatus of the character described, including a well pipe having a tubular fitting on the upper end thereof having its base in axial alignment with that of the well pipe, an annular ring member above said first fitting and seated thereon, a second tubular fitting mounted above said ring and in axial alignment therewith, each of said fittings having a pair of laterally extending ear members with aligned tapering apertures therein, the apertures in the first fitting being tapered in a direction opposite to the taper of the apertures in the second fitting, registering annular recesses in the adjacent ends of the ring and the second fitting forming an annular opening adapted to receive a resilient spacer ring, a resilient spacer ring seated in the annular opening, said ring being of greater thickness than the combined depths of the annular recesses and means insertable through the aligned apertures formed in the ear members of the fittings, adapted to draw the fittings toward each other whereby the resilient spacer ring is clamped in seated position within the annular recesses at the adjacent ends of the annular ring and the second tubular fitting and held therein against substantial radially inward intrusion.

HOMER V. FLEMMING. WILLIAM R. BARNEY. 

